U.N.-AU: military option not the answer

KHARTOUM, Sudan, June 12 (UPI) -- The lead representative of the U.N.-African Union mission in Darfur has called on Sudanese government and rebel leaders to end the ongoing violence.

Rodolphe Adada, joint special representative of the U.N.-AU mission in Darfur, recently met with Khalil Ibrahim, chairman of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement. Adada called on Ibrahim to work toward peace, adding military operations are not a solution, the United Nations reported.

The meeting with Ibrahim is part of an effort by Adada to strengthen relations with both the Sudanese government and rebel groups like JEM as part of an effort to encourage a dialogue that advances a comprehensive solution for peace in the volatile country.

"The problems that Sudan is facing now have no military solution," Adada said in a statement.